🔗 Share this article

Armed attackers have abducted in excess of 300 pupils and educators in one of the largest collective seizures in modern Nigerian history, as reported by a Christian organization on the weekend.

Growing Crisis in Educational Facilities

The pre-dawn Friday attack on St Mary's mixed-gender school in Niger state happened just days after armed men invaded a secondary school in adjacent Kebbi state, taking 25 female students.

Earlier accounts had suggested 227 individuals were taken, but revised numbers surfaced after a comprehensive assessment established that 303 pupils and 12 instructors had been abducted.

The kidnapped students, ranging between eight and 18 years, constitute nearly 50 percent of the school's total student population of 629.

Official Reaction and Security Measures

State authorities have stated that intelligence departments and police are currently conducting a thorough head count to determine the exact number of missing people.

In reaction to the increasing safety concerns, the local authorities has ordered the closure of all schools in the state, with neighboring states following comparable preventive steps.

Additionally, the national education ministry has directed the temporary shutting of 47 boarding secondary schools throughout the country.

President Bola Tinubu has cancelled overseas commitments, including participation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on managing the situation.

Latest Security Incidents

The educational institution kidnappings represent the latest in a sequence of safety breaches that have rocked the country, including an assault on a place of worship in western Nigeria where assailants shot dead two individuals and seized many worshipers during a live-streamed service.

These incidents have occurred against the backdrop of international attention on Nigeria's safety situation.

Historical Context

Nigeria remains scarred by the legacy of the mass kidnapping of almost 300 schoolgirls by jihadist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a decade ago, with some of those victims still missing.

Eyewitness Accounts

In a concerning video clip circulated by religious organizations, a upset worker recounted hearing the noise of motorcycles and cars before experiencing "forceful banging" on various entrances of the school premises.

"Students were weeping," the witness stated, recounting her fear while looking for keys to the area where the screaming was loudest.

The regional Catholic diocese confirmed that the "assailants operated violently and uninterrupted for nearly three hours, moving through sleeping quarters."

Public Response and Fears

At the same time, about 600km away on the outskirts of Abuja, worried parents were picking up their students from educational institutions following the shutdown order.

One parent, a 40-year-old nurse, voiced her shock at the magnitude of the abduction, asking how 300 children could be abducted simultaneously.

She concluded that the "government is failing to act to curb the security crisis," and expressed approval for international intervention to "salvage this crisis."

Ongoing Safety Issues

For a long time, well-equipped criminal gangs have been carrying out murders and kidnappings for money in remote areas of northwest and central Nigeria, where state presence is limited.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks, bandit gangs demanding financial compensation frequently target schools in rural areas where protection is weak.

These groups maintain bases in vast forest areas spanning multiple states in the west of Nigeria.

While these criminals have no political motives and are mainly driven by financial gain, their increasing cooperation with jihadist groups from the north-east has become a significant source of concern for officials and experts alike.